The brief

In this exercise you will read existing signs, symbols and images, and then drawing on their visual language create your own symbols.

Choosing a concept

The concept I am choosing for this exercise is “Here”. “Here” is used to direct people. It can direct people at conventions, festivals, museums, art galleries, flea markets, shopping malls and cinemas.  “Here” is typically used in the phrase, e.g. “enter here, exit here or pay here”.

“Here” is used in maps, location- and tracking apps. In the office setting, it is used as a sticker to show people where to sign documents, contracts and invoices. The phrase “sign here” is used in this context.

It is also used in packaging- and industrial design as the phrase “open here”, “close here”, “twist here”, “attach here”, and many more.

The most common symbols used with “here” are an arrow, a hand, a pin or a rectangular or square sign.

Creating my own symbol

Usually, when I order my art supplies from my favourite online shop, I receive a simple box with bubble-wrapped art supplies. They also insert a card that says, “Thank you for your purchase”. The packaging is simple and pristine, and the tape that holds the bubble wrap together is printed with beautiful one-colour graphics. They also include a small gift, like a pencil or a lollypop.  That’s it.

I never thought much about this, but I found myself excited to open the box, and the unboxing became familiar to me. Then I ordered from another online company. The package arrived with nothing extra. Not a card or nice bubble wrap, no lovely stickers or wrapping.  I was disappointed somehow because I’d spent a lot of money and the company was not inexpensive. This made me realise how important the unboxing process is.

While doing a mind map, the idea came to mind to create a novelty sticker for a small business that can be used when packaging items to send to online clients.  The phrase on the sticker will be “open here”. This sticker will have more than one function. It will direct the client where to open the tissue paper, be decorative and keep the tissue paper together.

I want to create a pleasant unboxing experience for their client.  A sticker can give the packaging a special touch when using inexpensive brown cardboard boxes and unbleached tissue paper.  The packaging looks expensive but is not, and it adds attention to detail. 

Observing packaging

To gather more information about the visual language used on packaging, especially to “open here”, I observed a few items that needed to be opened after purchase.  The shape of the label on the wipes indicates where it needs to be opened.  The perforated pattern on the Oats and Nespresso sleeve shows you where to tear and lift the flap.  The dog food has an indentation in the bag to show where to pull the bag open, and the cooldrink has a ring that indicates where to place your finger to open the can.

Thumbnails

Using the information gathered from the packaging observation (figure 4) and my visual references (figure 5), I sketched twelve rough thumbnails.  I like the concept and idea of thumbnails 3, 4, 10, 11 and 12, so I will develop them further.

I have decided to develop sketch 3 (figure 6) further.  The image is balanced, and the message is clear.  The sticker will be correct for where I want to place it because the arrows show the movement of opening the tissue paper.  I decided on a black-and-white image to complement the unbleached tissue paper and brown cardboard.  I would imagine this sticker to be used by an art supply company. I like the boy on the bike (figure 5) in my visual references.  It shows excitement and communicates a cheerful and uplifting message.  The hands in figure 5 are too formal, but the faces also convey a friendly mood, especially the whispering women in the bottom right corner.  The typography in my visual references is what I have in mind for this sticker.  I will do hand-lettering to give it that old vintage feel.

I developed the image further by using the whispering women with thumbnail sketch three layout. 

I have decided to work in Procreate as the sticker will be small and won’t need to be sized; for this reason, it can be a raster image, not vectors.  Figure 7 shows my digital process and how I developed the idea.  I have decided to change the font slightly towards the end to contrast with the soft shapes of the image.  I also refined the shape of the arrows.  I will make a black-and-white version and a colour version.  The size of the sticker will be 6.4 cm x 7.69 cm.  This includes a 0.2 cm offset (white border).

Once I completed the design and was happy with everything, I printed it on printable vinyl paper with a sticker backing and cut it with a cutting machine.

Overall, I am happy with the outcome.  I wanted to go for a vintage feel, but I think a simpler graphic could be more effective for a general “open here” sticker, sign or symbol.  The woman is more decorative and doesn’t show an action.   If I ever do a similar project, I will rather use a figure pointing or even a hand pointing to indicate “open here”.  Making these stickers was insightful, and I feel more confident to pursue a sticker project in the future.

The sticker has more than one purpose. It directs the recipient where to open the tissue paper; it’s decorative and keeps the tissue paper together.